By Bus in Auckland

By Bus

The easily recognizable white Link Buses circle the inner city, including many of the most popular stops for visitors, every 10 minutes between 6 AM and 7 PM weekdays, and then every 15 minutes until about 11:30 PM. The same service applies on weekends but starts at 7 AM and runs to 6 PM. The route includes the Britomart Centre between Customs Street and Quay Street, and buses stop at Queen Street, Parnell, Newmarket (near the Auckland Museum), Ponsonby, and Karangahape Road, among other places. The fare anywhere on the route is $1.50, payable as you get onto the bus; you should have change or small notes. A free red-color bus circuits the inner city between Britomart, the university, and the Sky Tower every 10 minutes between 8 AM and 6 PM daily.

To travel farther afield you'll need to get onto a Stagecoach Bus, which is run by the same company as the Link Buses and has services as far north as Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast and south to Pukekohe. An Auckland Day Pass at $10 for unlimited travel is easily the best value for anyone planning extensive use of the buses (both Link and Stagecoach), particularly because it is also valid for travel on Link ferries between the city and the North Shore. The Discovery Pass ($13) also includes the local trains. You can buy the passes from the ferry office or the bus drivers. The information office at Britomart provides information, maps, and timetables, or you can call Maxx for transit details.

Contacts

Information Office (Britomart Transport Centre, Queen Elizabeth Sq., Queen and Quay Sts., City Center). Maxx (09/366-6400. www.maxx.co.nz).